At a friend’s recommendation a while back, I read a short but poignant book by Jon Gordon: Training Camp, A Fable About Excellence. You may recognize his name from one of his many other books, such as The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, and The Positive Dog. Jon has a gift to take business and life...Read More

Being an account manager, or a business owner, for that matter, is like being a master juggler – up in the air on any given day are dozens of details on a to-do list that spans customer calls, billing, paperwork, dozens of emails, and meetings, meetings, meetings. It’s hard to fit business development into those...Read More

Sometimes hard problems CAN have easy answers. Well, “simple” perhaps, because it requires effort and work. Sometimes, as an Account Executive or Business Development Rep, the grind of prospecting and pipelining new opportunities made me feel like Fred Baker from those old Dunkin’ Donuts commercials where he zombies about saying, “Time to make the donuts.”...Read More

What thoughts go through your head when you call someone and don’t get a callback? How do you feel when you get no response to an email you sent a prospect? Sellers tell me that the biggest frustration and source of pain in their job is feeling like they’re being ignored by potential customers. For...Read More

What’s your focus for improved sales results this year? Cleaning up my office this week and the biggest stack of papers on my desk is my “Session Notes” pile. It’s the colorful printouts of PowerPoint decks and session worksheets that are scribbled on in blue, purple, hot pink, and aqua (I love my colored sharpie...Read More

It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to earn a response from a prospect these days. In 2007, it took almost 4 touches on average to get a response. Since then, the average has been more like 8 to 12 but hold on to your lunch . . . According to the Sales Development Technology Report by...Read More

Having a conversation with a Sales Director the other day about his sales team and he remarked that only one seller made their quota last year. Several of the team members were new (6 months in), and the others . . . well, they’re struggling. The one Account Executive that made quota has been there...Read More

Whether I’m working with a fresh-faced new seller or a seasoned pro, one thing that almost every seller does is “underprepare” for meetings and calls. Even when they know I’m going to join them, listen in, or attend the meeting with them, they grab a blank notepad and dial or walk into a meeting. I’ve...Read More

Many times when a new client reaches out or “sends up the bat-signal” it comes after one or more significant sales losses – especially if the loss is an existing account and it came as a shock. This has happened to me when I was an account executive and I see this often when I...Read More

Potatoes, Eggs, Bacon, Croissant, Orange Juice, Dolphins. See what I did there? Your brain started looking for a pattern: Food, Breakfast Foods … then, BAM. Disruption. Want to get someone’s attention? Disrupt patterns AND their expectations. Our brains are, say it with me now, FUTURE PREDICTION MACHINES and we’re constantly surveying and assessing for what...Read More